Movies/TV

‘Happy Death Day 2U’ Finishes Fifth at Weekend Box Office

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While many predicted a better showing for Happy Death Day 2U, the film ended up in fifth place at the weekend box office with roughly $10 million in ticket sales ($13.5 since it was released on Wednesday).  This total is $16 million less than the original film made in its opening 3-day weekend frame back in 2017.

Every movie studio ended up being disappointed this weekend, as it was the worst three-day President’s Day weekend for ticket sales since 2004.  Chief among the underachievers was Alita: Battle Angel, whose lofty expectations never materialized (in first place with $36.5 million since Thursday), falling victim to the same inflated tracking numbers that sank The Lego Movie 2 last week (which finished second at the box office with $21.2 million).  While the turnout for all films this weekend was low, there may need to be less emphasis put on tracking and social media awareness for upcoming films, as both measures have proven to be wildly inaccurate in 2019 and have so far created unrealistic expectations for new releases this year. read more

‘Happy Death Day 2U’: The Horror News Network Review

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Sequels are tough to pull off in any genre, but pulling off a sequel in the horror genre is an even more difficult feat.  Most horror films were not originally intended to be franchises even though they often spiral into them (Halloween, Friday the 13th, Texas Chainsaw Massacre), and the law of diminishing returns rears its ugly head in the vast majority of these cases.

Finding a more competent sequel than the original proves even harder to locate, but in the case of Happy Death Day 2U, director and co-writer Christopher Landon has accomplished this rare achievement, albeit one that is much less heavy on slasher tropes, instead venturing into the world of science fiction and comedy.  Landon’s follow up to his surprise hit Happy Death Day is a superior film for these reasons, but it may not appeal to horror fans in the same ways that the first one did. read more

Octavia Spencer is Not So Sweet in the New Trailer for ‘Ma’

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Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions have released the first trailer for the upcoming horror film Ma, which looks markedly different from director Tate Taylor’s last three films, The Help, Get on Up, and The Girl on the Train.

The simply titled Ma stars Oscar winner Octavia Spencer (The Shape of Water) as a sweet woman who appears to be conned by some under-aged teens into buying them some booze for a raging party.  She then appears to get even cooler, as Spencer’s character also offers them a place to hold said party.  As is usually the case in these scenarios, Spencer’s kindly demeanor seems to be masking some hidden secrets (and the only Hidden Figures may be some ominous looking voodoo masks and teen bodies in her basement). read more

Full Trailer for ‘The Curse of La Llorona’ Released

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Following in the foot steps of other recent supernatural horror hits,  Warner Brothers/Newline Cinema recently released the first full trailer for director Michael Chaves’ scary, weeping woman tale, The Curse of La Llorona.  As evidenced by the trailer, you better stay off of the high way, and don’t even think of taking a bath!

The film is based on a figure from Mexican folklore that drowned her children in a fit of jealous rage, only to be turned into a wandering, vengeful spirit for her terrible sins.  How much of the story will be used in the film is anyone’s guess (although I’d guess not much). read more

New Shudder Documentary Series Will Explore ‘Cursed Films’

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Shudder continues to provide original programming for their growing subscriber base with the announcement of a new horror film documentary series entitled Cursed Films. The series will highlight a different film each episode and examine “…the facts, myths and mysteries around iconic films and franchises whose casts and crew have been struck by misfortune and tragedy, including The Exorcist, Poltergeist and The Omen, among others.”

According to the official press release, each episode will be composed of “…interviews with experts, witnesses and the cast, directors and producers who lived through the real-life events” and of course, ask the question everyone is bragging about: “Were these films really cursed, as many believe, or just the victims of bad luck and bizarre circumstances?” read more

New Trailer from AMC Reveals Creepy First Look at ‘NOS4A2’

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During the mid-season premier of The Walking Dead‘s ninth season aired a teaser for AMC’s latest horror adaptation, NOS4A2 (pronounced Nosferatu), based on the novel by author Joe Hill.

Main characters include Vic McQueen, Bing Patridge, Chris McQueen, Linda McQueen and Charlie Manx, who will be respectively portrayed by Ashleigh Cummings, Olafur Darri Olafsson, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Virginia Kull and Zachary Quinto.

An early synopsis for the series tells Quinto will play Manx, a seductive immortal who feeds off the souls of children, then deposits what remains of them into Christmasland – an icy, twisted Christmas village of Manx’s imagination where every day is Christmas Day and unhappiness is against the law. Manx finds his whole world threatened when a young woman in New England (Cummings) discovers she has a dangerous gift. Cummings will play Vic McQueen, a young, working-class artist whose creativity awakens a supernatural ability to track Manx. What Vic lacks in social confidence, she makes up for in courage, humor, and tough-as-nails grit. She strives to defeat Manx and rescue his victims without losing her mind or falling victim to him herself. read more

Bidding Battle for Film Rights of Joe Hill’s Short Story ‘Faun’ Won by Netflix and Sugar23

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Coming exclusively from Deadline, Faun, an upcoming short story by Joe Hill, has been picked up by Netflix and Sugar23 to be adapted for the screen.

After winning a three-studio bidding war to secure the rights, Netflix is teaming with Jeremy Slater who will write the script and Michael Sugar will produce through his Sugar23 banner along with Ashley Zalta.

For interested readers, the short story will be published in a collection this coming fall titled At Home in the Dark.

Although the winning bid price has not been disclosed, the pitch presented to the buyers was as follows: read more

‘Velvet Buzzsaw’: The Horror News Network Review

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Hitting Netflix on February 1st, Velvet Buzzsaw certainly has gained a bit of attention.  Circling around a self-absorbed art scene, the film is very much a satire mixed with horror.  These artists greed comes back to bite them, when they take advantage of an unknown, and deceased, artists’ paintings, which also just happen to be painted with human blood. Filmmaker Dan Gilroy, not only sets up a glossy and absurdly shallow scenario, but does so with some real star power behind him.  Velvet Buzzsaw features Jake Gyllenhaal, John Malkovich, Renee, Russo, Zawe Ashton, Toni Collette, and Natalia Dyer.  With a cast like this combined with the perfect horror setup, what could go wrong? read more

‘Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror’ Documentary: The Horror News Network Review

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Whenever a film becomes a surprise hit (and leaves an impression on Hollywood executives that are seeking to mine similar material for profit), there are sometimes some unexpected, positive side effects.  In the case of Jordan Peele’s Get Out, which captured the attention of both ticket buyers and studio heads, the shock waves of success helped to unearth and bring attention to some forgotten gems and underappreciated actors and filmmakers that helped pave the way for Peele’s triumph. read more

HNN Preview of Toy Fair New York 2019

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The 2019 New York Toy Fair is only a few days away, and the gang at HNN is ready to once again invade the Javitz Center in Manhattan and partake in all of the fun.

Staff writers Larry Dwyer and Sean McLaughlin preview what to expect at this year’s event, and shed some light on the companies and exhibits that will be of particular interest to horror fans.  The boys cover all of the favorites like Mezco, NECA, McFarlane Toys and many others.

Visit our YouTube channel (and the video below) for the entire episode, and check out our Patreon page for even more exclusive videos and content that you can’t get anywhere else (https://www.patreon.com/horrornewsnetwork). read more